Favorite Days of Asian Fever

I'm in love with Asia, or at least I am when surrounded by people who make Asia come alive. My friend Don, for example, takes any phrase I'm learning in Korean, and tells me where it came from, where to use it, the literal translation, and 3 more phrases that have the same format (I never remember those). I recently learned how to say, "Die!" or "Don't die!" and "I want to die!" Don makes this come alive for me when he tells me that Koreans use this same form when they are out drinking and exclaim, "Let's drink til we die!" Oh, very useful Don, thank you.

Don is from California like my friend Sarah. Sarah puts a California twist on everything. She wears 4 pairs of leggings because she insists on wearing skirts to school during the cold Korean winter. You can see her "sledding" in a skirt above. I believe this was the first time either of my Cali friends had been on a frozen body of water. The Korean version of sledding is to sit on a piece of wood and push against the ice with long ice picks. They allow their children to do this alone, without safety goggles or helmets. Sarah's excitement of sledding on a frozen river made the Korean folk village experience one of my favorites.

Another one of my favorite days in Asia was in Tokyo with 6 of my friends (1 old, 4 semi-new, 1 brand-new). Derek, a friend from middle school (who sat behind me in band and next to me in French class) is now a pilot in the Air Force. I wonder if they would let him fly those helicopters if they knew how much he used to like to watch WWF professional throw-down wrestling. It was strange to feel so at home in a foreign place simply because I was with someone I grew up with. Derek made Tokyo feel like an old pair of running shoes - it was like we had been strolling around old sacred temples and shrines for years together, talking about who's dating who, expressing our excitement to finally graduate high school, and telling jokes about our friends. Of course, our actual conversation was closer to who's married to whom, recalling how many times we scared Asian children with our looks, and telling jokes about our high school friends. :) Tokyo felt closer to home than I anticipated. And Derek was taller and more man-ish than I anticipated.

"So, the cross is always ready and waits for you everywhere. You cannot escape it no matter where you run, for wherever you go you are burdened with yourself. Wherever you go, there you are." —Thomas a Kempis, 1440

'Wherever you go, there you are.' Even when changing countries, cities, jobs, pant sizes, I still need friends to help me deal with myself. Where I ended up this time is pretty nice considering God gives me new friends everywhere I turn, even on an island for honeymooners! At a beach bonfire on Jeju Island, I met Dennis, Reinhard, and Martin, three Germans who also happened to be living in Taejon. Seeing Korea from a German perspective is just funny. Hearing Korean with a German accent is even funnier. One of my favorite days was a trip with the Germans to a folk village and a walled city. We topped off the night with some intense games of darts, table soccer, and Jenga.

Emily and Will are two friends who make Korea more fun just because they are Emily and Will. Will is from Utah and speaks fluent Korean. Emily is from Minnesota and wants to speak Korean. (sometimes she just walks around town saying whatever word she has mastered that week like, "Odie? Odie?" which means, 'Where? Where?' or "Norang tahmujee!" which means 'Yellow radish!') Will's hair is like mine. Emily's hair is crazier than mine. Will forgets his earphones are in and yells on trains. So does Emily. Both are fun people to travel with, as you never know what will happen.

Kirstin and Tim are also two people that make traveling fun, as you never quite know when they will make you laugh. Kirstin can take any phrase like, "Awwww come on you guys!" and use it in Japan where you'd never expect. She also loves exclaiming things in Spanish, while in Korea or Japan. Tim keeps the conversation alive at all times with facts like the water between Japan and Jeju is the brightest sea at night due to the vast number of shrimp boats. I am grateful for both of these friendships. Asia is just more fun with laughter.

There is still a lot to learn about the history, culture, language of Asia. I have found that my most enjoyable learning moments have been with my friends. Discovering Asia, myself, or God is always more meaningful and fulfilling when discovered in the company of good friends. Wherever We go, there We are.